Xmas Shopping - Why Do We Always Wait?

Scott & I struggled just to get our Christmas shopping done for our loved ones in time to get the packages shipped in time. We relied mostly on online shopping for that reason. But, here it was, 5 days before Christmas and we still didn't have any presents for each other and practically nothing for Nicky, so we decided to go to the mall last night. Our reasoning was that the mall would be less crowded on a weekday evening than it would be this weekend. While we were likely right, it was still quite busy there and we did not get home until almost midnight. First we stopped at Sears to pick up Nicky's portraits and a few presents for him. Then we went to JCPenney where we basically took care of Scott & me.

Scott took the opportunity to re-up our Verizon contract at the Verizon kiosk while I nursed Nicky in Penney's, so now I am the proud owner of a pink Razor phone. How trendy is that? This way Scott & I don't have the exact same phone again (his is silver) which can get confusing. It might take me forever to learn how to use this thing. The function I am most excited about is its MP3 player as I don't have a separate one at all. Now I can save my music on my phone. I will have earbuds where I can listen to music and then switch to phone and talk if a call comes in, all on the same headset. Very cool and not too expensive.

While waiting to for the Verizon rep to transfer my numbers from my old phone to my new one, I went to Motherhood and got some new nursing shirts. Now I just need more than 2 pairs of pants that fit. I am happy to say that I have lost all but less than 10 pounds of the overall 35 pounds that I gained during the pregnancy. However, I am left with all this extra skin around my waist. On top of that, my hips spread during pregnancy, so none of my pre-pregnancy pants fit. I don't mind the idea of actually having hips now since I had a curveless boy-shape before, but I must mourn most of my former wardrobe. I will miss some of those clothes. And while occasional shopping is fun, I am not enthused about the idea of replacing my entire wardrobe. Well, most of my shirts should still work, although right now I am only wearing the ones that don't emphasize my tummy. Oh, the woes of the post-pregnancy body. I know, I just need to give it time and try to get into a regular exercise pattern in the coming weeks. Fun (note my sarcasm).

Nicky did great during all of this shopping and either hung out or slept in his stroller without a peep except to tell us when he was hungry. I am happy to say I am quite content with the Chicco stroller we purchased. It was a bit more expensive than the other travel systems but its suspension gives it a great ride and it is not too wide which helps in crowded malls. Nicky also slept while we finally ate at TGI Fridays after we finally got out of the mall. Talk about a late supper. We all crashed when we got home. And now we will actually have Christmas presents under the tree.